


The White Queen - My Review

by DarkPhoenixGoddess10



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Gen, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:57:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPhoenixGoddess10/pseuds/DarkPhoenixGoddess10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before I start any of my fics, I like to share my reviews on the TV series "The White Queen". Please leave any comment - I don't mind if you disagree with my opinions ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChelleLeigh1917](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChelleLeigh1917/gifts), [infensi_floralibus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/infensi_floralibus/gifts), [LadyWhite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyWhite/gifts).



Okay, here's the thing: I am a nerd - a big history nerd. And I'm also a werido. I have this crazy obsession and infatuation with historical fiction and historical film. I am especially fascinated with comparing historical figures - how they're portrayed on screen and how they're described in historical text. I don't remember how it started, but I believe it was four years ago by accident, I found this novel "The Sunne in Splendour" and thus began my craze for Richard III, and his love for Anne Neville. Ever since then, I saw all versions of William Shakespeare's "Richard III". And I read all the historical fictions on Richard III and/or Anne Neville that I can find: Jean Plaidy's "Relunctant Queen", Anne O'brien's "Virgin Vidow", Sandra Worth's "War of Roses series", "A Daughter of Warick", "The Last Plantagenet Queen", "Loyalty", and most recently "The Kingmaker's Daughter" by Phillipa Gregory. Let's just say that I cannot find the right word to express how unfair that Richard III was judged and how I just want to brawl every time I read the part where Anne died. Those accusations - how Richard wanted to marry his niece, how he poisoned Anne - are just as ridiculous as any Celebrity tabloids.

And when I heard that there's going to be a TV adaption of "The White Queen", I could not be more excited. My excitement reached to the pinnacle when I saw the picture of Richard of Gloucester - finally for the first time on screen, Richard Plantagenet, King of England, was portrayed accurately according to age and features. I could not wait to see it. After all, the series (apparently) follows the footsteps of "The Tudors", "The Borgias", "Rome", "Spatacus", and "Camelot". What can go wrong? After watching all the episodes so far, I cannot help but admit that this TV series had good potentials, but failed to reach them. And here's why:

  * Miscast - Max Irons is certaintly good looking enough to be King of England, but he failed to leave the impression of Edward IV. Historically, Edward IV was 10 years older than Richard and by far, the tallest King of England at 6'4". On screen Max Irons looks even younger than Aneurin Barnard.
  * Strong supporting cast but wasted - this series only have 10 episodes but it covers from the early reign of Edward IV all the way to ascension of Henry VII; as result, strong performance of James Frain (Earl of Warwick), Janet Mcteer (Jacquetta, Lady of Rivers), Eleanor Tomlinson (Isabel), and David Oakes (George of Clarence) were short and not much developed.
  * Too fast pace - again, this series only have 10 episodes and yet it covers the reign of four kings - Edward IV, Henry VI, Richard III, and Henry VII. Maybe the length of period is not as long as the reign of Henry VIII; however, many things have happened. For instance, Edward IV and Earl of Warwick's fallout did not just occur over one night and over the marriage of Elizabeth Woodville. But with only one season, there's not enough screen time for all that. Remember, "The Tudors" has 4 seasons; "The Borgias" has 3 seasons; and "Rome" had 2 seasons. I believe at very least, this show should have 2 seasons - one covers the fallout between Edward IV and Warick; and the second one covers the reign of Edward IV and Richard III.
  * Lack of character development on Elizabeth Woodville - Elizabeth Woodville is the main character of the series, hence the title "The White Queen". However, my sympathy for her does not change much from Episode 1 to Episode 8. The whole point of the "Cousins' War" series is to present the voice of women during this bloody period of time when men dominated everything. Philippa Gregory's distinguishment, as in "The Tudor" series, is to present the point of view from a historical character that is generally not well-liked or paid attention to (like Mary Boleyn). From her interviews, she stated that "every woman in her series is a heroine". Perhaps you can say that for Margaret Beaufort or Anne Neville; but in this series, not much for Elizabeth Woodville. Pretty much, she was just "there" and doing her "stuff" and having babies.
  * Not having Richard and Anne as main characters - this is probably the problems of the series. The writers may tend to give each three female protagonist (Elizabeth, Margaret, and Anne) equal screen time, but as I correctly anticipated - all eyes are on Richard and Anne. This is because due to the notoriety of "RIchard III" by William Shakespeare and the strong voices of the Richardian Society, Richard III pretty much overshadowed all other historical characters in War of Roses. And casting such a good looking actor like Aneurin Barnard as Richard, no doubt all fans are excited. In addition, the discovery of Richard III's body around the time the shooting was wrapped added furthur interest from the audience. Compared to other characters, this couple - Anne and Richard - had the best chemistry and development. The series is marketed as "star-crossed love" story between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. But their relationship is nothing much more than one-night stands. Richard and Anne, however, presented a relationship that is genuine and supportive. Even in Episode 8, where Anne Neville started to act like Lady MacBeth, the audience can accept that given what the couple went through - wars, losses, death in family, kill or being killed. And if you pay attention to Richard of Gloucester's looks, you'll find that from episode 1 to episode 8, his appearance gradually becomes similar to the one of Laurence Olivier's "Richard III". This demonstrates that in the end, his fate would not be pretty; but he did not become this cold blooded king over one night - alot of things happened to pushed him to become this. I believe the auidence would feel for him as they felt for The Tudors' Anne Boleyn - his death would be too hard to watch.
  * Customes and sex scenes - okay, there is a lot of anachronism going on in this show, which is probably influenced by "The Tudors". But what people should acknolwedge is that the make-up and customs in"The Tudors" have a point - they are symbolic to character's personality and fate. For instance, Anne Boleyn wore a white swan dress when she first met Henry VIII and this is touched upon after her execution - with Henry VIII eating a swan. The customs in "The White Queen" don't seen to do that or at least it failed to impress me.



Again, I am history nerd and I tend to critical on historical series. However, maybe it is a little unfair of me since the series, honestly, is not bad for entertainment itself. Perhaps I'm expected too much from it. Or maybe I felt cheated since I was ancitipating a drama on Richard III. Maybe one day there'll be film or TV series that gave a more realistic historical portrayal of Richard III. This series may not be a bad start. 

 


	2. And They Done it Right...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What can the White Queen series producers/creators learn from other custom drama series/films? If "Sunne in Splendour" were to adapt into a TV series, what lessons the creator can learn from the mistakes of TWQ?

"The White Queen" is not the first historical series that takes liberty from historical facts for the sake of creativity. However, it failed to impress the audience; rather, it ended up as a guilty pleasure. Let's take a look at other historical/custom dramas that done it right:

  * _The Tudors_ : _The White Queen_ can be viewed as the prequel to _The Tudors_ since Henry VIII's mother Elizabeth of York is featured in TWQ. Yet, TWQ pales compared to _The Tudors_ (TT). TT also took many liberties from history to make it entertaining and it successfully presented sympathetic portrayals for three typically vilified characters: Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer,  _Games of Thrones_ ), Lady Mary Tudor (Sarah Bolger), and Thomas Cromwell (James Frain - who played Lord Warwick). What made TT more successful is its writing. Historical or not, the TV series is TV series. Plot has to work; characters need development. True, _The Tudors_ also has its own share of fanservice and anachronic customes, but these were applied well into the story plots and themes. 


  * _Rome_ : a 2 season TV series that depicts the story of Rome under the reign of Julius Ceasar and Augustus Ceasar. The female protagonist Atia of Julii is a scheming, vain woman who plotted against her enemies. Like Elizabeth Woodville, she ended up on the winning side but felt lonley on the top. However, 20 episodes allowed room for character development. The real Atia of Julii is nothing like how she was portrayed in the show. However, because the script is good and the character's personality applied well to other characters' development (like Augustus Ceasar), it was noticed but not criticized. In TWQ, character Cecily Neville Duchess of York was cowed after one confrontation with Elizabeth Woodville and Lady Jacquetta. In history, known as the "Proud Cis", Cecily Neville never accepted Elizabeth Woodville but she was nothing like what TWQ presented. Obviously, PG wanted to portray Cecily Neville as a weak woman to reflect Elizabeth Woodville and Jacquetta's strength. But, it just was not as convincing. Partially it was because the real Atia of Julii did not play any vital role in Roman history while Cecily Neville Duchess of York played quite a vital role after husband's defeat and before her son's ascension. To say that Cecily Neville cowed so easily by Jacquetta of Luxembourg is as if Sir Winston Churchill cowed by Joseph Stalin.


  * _Mists of Avalon:_ a TNT series that broadcasted more than two decades ago, also adapted from a novel. The series centered on the women in Arthurian legends as TWQ centered on women in War of Roses. The main protgonist of  _Mists_ is Morgaine le Fey, the main female villain of most Arthurian tales. Throughout the series, Morgaine narrated her story and explained her decisions and actions to the audience. With a strong supporting cast including Anjelica Huston and Joan Allen, the show impressed the audience despite receiving mixed review from the critics. In the end, the audience could sympathsize with Morgaine.  _Mists_ is also a short series with only one season. However, it focused on one character (Morgaine) and has her narrating her story. TWQ, on the other hand, focused on three female protgonists and telling the story from 3rd person point of view. In the end, it is hard for the audience to sympathize with any character.


  * _Camelot_ : another Starz series with only one season - because it was not renewed. The leading stars are Eva Green and Ralph Fiennes. Eva Green played Morgaine while Ralph Fiennes played Merlin. Morgaine is the antagonist but she had a decent fanbase mind you. Before starring  _Camelot_ , Eva Green was in films like _Casino Royale._ Ralph Fiennes himself is also a veteran in custom dramas. TWQ casted new actors (including Aneurin Barnard) to play the major roles with veteran actors play smaller roles. The three female characters-Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, and Margaret Beaufort-are not meant to be one-dimensional characters. Rebecca Fergurson may not be a bad actress per se, but she may not have enough experience to play the lead in such a complex drama. 



Of course, most of us still have high hope that one day "Sunne in Splendour" can be adapted into a TV series as well. Compared to Cousins Wars series, "Sunne in Splendour" is better written. If that's going to happen, this is what I'm hoping to see:

  * Multiple seasons: my educated guess is 3. Season 1 starts Yorks' fall out with Richard Neville and ends with Battle at Tewkesbury; Richard is already a teenager who is haunted by the Battle of Wakesfield. Season 2 focuses on his relationship and marriage to Anne Neville and ends with George's execution. Season 3 focuses on his reign as King of England and ends with Battle of Bosworth. If the creator were to make a stand alone series of 10 episodes, then they must cast a strong male lead as Richard. If Aneurin Barnard were to return, I would not object because he has proved himself a method actor (he was already a award-winning stage actor before TWQ). With a better script, I believe that he can present a better image of Richard III.


  * A more historical accurate custome design: the setting and custom of TWQ were more fit for a fantasy series rather than historical series. Maybe by now the audience grew tired of the sexy historical anachronisms targeted at fanservices. And please, how could Queen of England only have 3-4 dresses and so poorly designed?


  * Have a better written script: thankfully "Sunne in Splendour" is better written that PG's series. But when a novel is adapting into a script, there is always a chance for mishap. Again, in this situation, a good plot comes before historical accuracy and loyalty to the book. 


  * Have a better cast:I wouldn't mind if Aneurin Barnard wants to return as well as James Frain. Rebecca Fergurson might be a good fit for Elizabeth Woodville in this adaption since her role would be minimized and she's more of a villain here. Faye Marsay is not a bad actress but unfortuantely for some reasons I don't see her as Penman version's Anne Neville. At very least, they need a strong male lead to play Richard III. Historically speaking, Richard of Gloucester was a complex man even before becoming King of England. Thus, portraying him would not be any simpler than playing Hamlet. 


  * Have the characters act like people from Middle Ages: the characters' dialogues and reactions in TWQ are quite modern - as they were from the modern world who don't understand the life of Medieval times. A typical example is Elizabeth Woodville's reaction of sending her son to Ludlow as Prince of Wales. She was shocked but it should've been a common knowledge expected for all Prince of Wales. Another example is when Richard allowed Anne to lead his mind in Episode 8 even though by the standard of the day it was not likely that he involve Anne in these state matters.


  * Show Richard's side as a father, brother, husband and son: in TWQ, the three main protagonists spent most of their times scheming against one another. Except for Anne Neville who only spent a few minutes of screen time as a mother, none of the characters demonstrated their human sides. As result, the audience would see them scheming against each other for greed rather than for their family. The characters may declared that they did all this for their family's sake, but the audience just don't see that.



I really hope that there is an adaption of "Sunne in Splendour" in works. We really owe Richard III a more realistic portrayal. In my words, PG damaged his image more than Shakespeare.


End file.
